November 22, 2011

How To Tell A Real Diamond From A Fake One

Diamonds are some of the loveliest gems on the planet. Their beauty is alluring to people of all walks of life, and that causes their value to rise. Because they are so valuable, those who buy them usually want their stones to be the real deal and not some fake that they paid too much for. Just as you would not want to pay for leather interior on a vehicle only to find out it is vinyl, you do not wish for your hard earned money to go toward a fake diamond. How, then, do you tell a real diamond from a fake one?

If you are unsure of the authenticity of a diamond, then your best bet will be to take it to a professional appraiser. They possess the training, technology, and equipment to distinguish real diamonds from fake. Be sure that knowing the value of your diamond is important to you, because the typical fee for an appraisal falls in the 50 to 70 dollar range. If, however, you do not wish to spend the money and hope to ascertain the authenticity of a diamond yourself, there are ways to do so.

One very basic method you can employ to test a diamond for its genuine quality is a transparency test. Simply place the stone on the text of a newspaper or magazine. If the letters clearly show through, then you likely have a fake on your hands. Another simple test is to clean off the rock and breathe on it in an attempt to create a fog as you would on a window. Pure diamonds will disperse the heat instantly, while fake ones will retain the condensation for a few seconds.

If an ultra violet light or black light is handy, then you can shine it on the diamond and observe any luminescence. If the diamond shines with a moderate to strong shade of blue, then it is probably genuine. Nearly all fakes are incapable of producing the blue light, so the blue is a good indicator of a real diamond. Also, prisms might be pretty to look at, but they are no good coming from a diamond when light is shone through. Fake ones give off a prism, while real ones will refract light into varying shades of gray.

These simple tests will help you determine whether your stone is a real or fake diamond. Of course, there is some room for error when utilizing these methods. If you wish to be absolutely sure, allow the professionals to look at it for you.

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Filed under Jewelry by Shopper

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